The Wizard of the Water
by Tanny
Summary: A short little picture of how the spring might have come to be everlasting...


Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Tuck Everlasting, which is owned by Natalie Babbit. I am not profiting in any way from this. I do, however, own Tithorién and Whiteman, the magical spells, and the plot. They are mine, all mine!!!!

Author's Note: I discovered this yesterday, while browsing through my grade six school assignments. The purpose of the project was to explain how the water gained its magical properties. It might not make very much sense. Hope you enjoy it!

            **The Wizard of the Water**

            Once, long ago, in the time of dwarves, elves, goblins, and fairies, lived a wizard. He was called Tithorién. He was famous for his ways with water. Even in places far under the earth, his name was heard.

            Tithorién made fountains, stopped floods with a shake of his finger, let rain fall, and especially, created magic water potions. He loved to experiment. Tithorién would mix chemicals and minerals, berries and herbs, to see what he could make.

            Already, Tithorién had created a spring water of moonlight, stardust, and silver to make one's teeth shine. He was very proud of this.

            But he was constantly working on a potion to make one invincible. Tithorién had mixed apples and potatoes with lamb's wool and frogs' baby teeth to water, but only succeeded in making sweaters with pearly buttons and apples for pockets with potato root trims.

            Even though Tithorién was admired by many, he had a few enemies. One of these was the ruling wizard, Whiteman. Whiteman was skilled in many crafts, and a great learner of ancient lore. He seemed kind, gentle, and meek, but was in fact very crafty.

Whiteman's ultimate goal was to rule the world, but he was old, weak, and lazy. So he often stole potion plans from Tithorién that would be of his need. As he knew that Tithorién wanted to create a potion for invincibility – which would be incredibly useful to him – he often aided Tithorién in little ways.

            Finally, after weeks of experimenting and tinkering, Tithorién shouted "Eureka!" so loudly that the distant icy ground of Pluto quivered.

            Whiteman leapt up from the golden couch he was lying on. He grabbed a crystal ball near to him and peered into it intently. In the murky depths a fire was kindled. In the fire's glow Tithorién appeared.

            His face was radiant. Suddenly, Tithorién's voice came squeaking out of the crystal ball. It was very faint, but hearable. 

            "Hooray!" he chirped. "Finally, after weeks of experimenting and studying, I have found what I want. The potion of INVINCIBILITY!"

            A queer look came into Whiteman's face, and blue fire glazed his eyes. Then he strode over to a desk and grabbed a small, bound bag. With that, Whiteman slapped on his cloak and walked through a nearby door.

                                                            **************

            Tithorién sat with his back to the door. He rested his head on his hands, and his face had a dreamy look as he gazed at a small open crystal capsule full of liquid in front of him. Tithorién did not notice the dark figure sidling through the door.

            The figure reached beneath its cloak, and withdrawing its hand, threw a silky powder over Tithorién. With barely a blink, he fell into a deep sleep. But some of the powder landed in the open capsule. A strange, unnoticeable chemical reaction began inside the capsule, changing the qualities of Tithorién's potion to something strange and unimaginable: a potion of everlasting life.

            Then the figure cast off its cloak. It was Whiteman! He glanced around nervously, and then grabbed the capsule in front of Tithorién. It was labeled: "My Masterpiece- INVINCIBILITY POTION".

            Whiteman slipped it into a pocket, and then fled.

            But suddenly, as he stalked outside, thunder boomed, lighting flashed, and great black clouds spiraled overhead.

            A great voice rumbled, "Whiteman!" and he stopped dead in his tracks.

            "I am the greatest of all wizards and sorcerers. I created the earth, the universe. I see all; past, present, and future. You have taken the prize of one who has earned it. You shall pay dearly."

            Then great drops of rain splashed down. Whiteman ran as if hundreds of armies were behind him. He ran to a grove of trees, still very near to Tithorién's house, looking for a place to hide. But Whiteman tripped over a stone, and the capsule flew out of his pocket and smashed in a small spring. Whiteman's eyes bulged, and then he ran and ran, and was never seen again.

                                                            ***************

            Meanwhile, Tithorién awoke. The sun came out, the sky turned blue, and a rainbow appeared. He noticed that the capsule of potion in front of him was gone, and wondered where he had put it.

            Tithorién still felt sleepy, and wondered why he had fallen asleep. He walked to the cupboard and found the rest of his invincible potion. He smiled and whispered, "My greatest dream has come true."

            Then he decided to go and get a glass of water, for he was very thirsty. Tithorién walked to a grove of trees near his house in which there was a fresh water spring. He knelt down by the sparkling spring with a dipper and drank deeply. For a moment, Tithorién thought he saw a reflection in the water – not of himself, but of a family, staring back at him… He shrugged it off as a figment of his imagination. As the wizard stood up, a gentle wave curled over a sparkling piece of crystal and hid a mystery for years to come.


End file.
